


Save Us

by Duvainthel



Series: Caladrius [3]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Lucifer (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Caladrius - Freeform, F/F, F/M, Healing Powers, M/M, new avenger, revival
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-07-28 19:51:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20069638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duvainthel/pseuds/Duvainthel
Summary: Caroline wakes up.Only problem? It took her a year and she doesn't remember going to Hell's Kitchen or meeting Tony Stark and the Avengers.Navigating through panic attacks, memory loss, saving people and new powers she grows closer to Peter and Tony.Will she ever remember everything again? And if she does what will happen with the new relationships she forged?This is part of a series. If you find this story without going through the earlier installments, no big deal.Since Caroline has amnesia, you'll experience it like her.But if you're super curious, check out the earlier installments, warning though, everyone of the Avengers team won't be featured as much as in this one.





	1. Welcome to the tower

The room felt cold. Not from temperature, just impersonal, far from cosy.  
There was a dark gray linoleum floor and gray walls. No windows and the only thing that filled the room was a hospital bed, machines and a comfy chair.  
Which was currently occupied by a tired looking man in his forties. A faint glow was visible through his band shirt in the middle of his chest.  
He was looking intensely at the hospital bed.  
Which was occupied by a strawberry blonde girl, she had a delicate nose and high cheekbones.  
“FRIDAY? Any news?”  
“Every scan points to the fact that she stopped healing, she appears to be asleep. She’ll wake any second now.”  
The man sighed and rubbed in his face. He scooted his chair closer towards the bed and took her hand in his.  
“Please, just wake up and be okay…”

A voice pulled her from her dreams.  
Or should she say nightmare?  
A little of both. She tried her best to summon the dream back. She had been at home, watching the baker die, over and over again.  
And then there was a well-dressed man. With a British accent?  
They had talked, he was badly hurt?  
The more she pulled the more it slipped away from her.  
When the dream was completely gone, she could feel she was lying in a bed. A soft beeping filled the room. Was she in a hospital? How did she get there?  
Something warm engulfed her hand. It was another hand, a bit rough but tender as well.  
“Please, just wake up and be okay…”  
She faintly recognized the voice. It sounded as a man, but she couldn’t link it to any of the men she knew.  
He softly rubbed her knuckles with his thumb.  
Her sleepiness faded and she decided to check who was sitting beside her.  
“Sir…”  
A female voice filled the air and she opened her eyes.  
The room she was in felt and looked as a hospital room. No maybe not, it was more stripped. At least hospitals tried to give somewhat of a homey feel. The room was just bare and gray.  
She looked around but didn’t find the woman she had just heard.  
Instead her eyes fell on a tired looking man who was smiling at her.  
The recognition shocked her and she gasped, looking at him in shock.  
The man frowned.  
“What? Did you really think I wouldn’t be there when you woke up? Especially after you saved my ass?” It sounded hurt.  
“Y-you… you… M-mister Stark?”  
Confusion filled her body.  
“The one and only.” Mr. Stark grinned. “You can drop the Mr. though.”  
Caroline’s eyebrows shot to her hairline.  
“Why would Iron Man sit at my sickbed?”  
Mr. Stark frowned even deeper, slowly retreated his hand from hers and rubbed his face.  
“I though we were in a fairly good place… I shouldn’t assume…” He mumbled, his discomfort visibly growing.  
Fairly good place? What?  
“What are you talking about? We never met before, why would you think we’re in a good place?”  
At that he looked at her stunned, colour draining from his face.

“What do you remember?” the question bordered on whispering. Like he was fearful for the answer.  
What does she remember? That was a good question.  
How did she end up in this hospital bed?  
The baker dying over and over again… No, that was a dream.  
But it did happen. She went to the funeral with her mom and sister and everyone looked at them with hate in their eyes. Hurtful things had been hissed at them and they left as quickly as possible.  
Her mom was stopped by the priest. She had looked panicked.  
They went home and then…?  
Caroline eyed Mr. Stark in front of her. Suspicious. So she told him the revised story.  
“I remember going to the funeral of the town baker and going home. After that…”  
Caroline concentrated again. She saw some flashes, but they were just blurs, nothing she could make out.  
“…Nothing, waking up here, I guess.”  
Mr. Starks eyes grew wide.  
“So you don’t remember the town turning against you? Being saved by S.H.I.E.L.D., well me that was sent by S.H.I.E.L.D.? You don’t remember Hell’s Kitchen?”  
“H-hell’s Kitchen? Why would the town turn against me?”  
“Because of your powers, the accident you had with them, when someone invaded your home to force you to heal a family member.”  
Caroline’s eyes grew wide. He knew?  
“You know about my powers?” She asked with a trembling voice.  
“Of course, we got you out of that dangerous situation, you healed some of us. You went on a mission with one of us. You saved my life.”  
“Us?”  
“The Avengers, and others that haven’t joined us yet.”  
“The Avengers?” Caroline piped, in a high voice.  
She had met the Avengers and didn’t remember?  
“FRIDAY, can you tell Bruce come in here, please?” Mr. Stark suddenly said.  
“I’ll relay the message, sir.” The female voice from earlier sounded through the room. Caroline jumped and scanned the room bur saw no one.  
“Tell him it’s urgent.”  
Mr. Stark eyed her, worry evident on his face.  
“Don’t worry, that was FRIDAY, my AI.”  
“Wasn’t your AI’s name JARVIS?”  
Surprise lined his face and he grinned like he had found out a secret that delighted him.  
“That’s true, became something else though. How did you know that?”  
“Well, you are Iron Man, you’re kind off famous. I read it somewhere.”  
“You read about me?” A pleased look entered his eyes and his grin grew wider.  
“Mr. Stark, I think at some point everyone reads about you sometime.” Caroline said confused of his reaction. She couldn’t help being a bit starstruck. Of course she played it off like it was minor, but in actuality she had read everything that she could about him and the rest of the Avengers. The only other known people with powers and skills like hers. Well not really like hers but things that surpass the norm. She wanted to help people, she looked up to them because what she did on a very small level, they did on a world scale. She still remembers the images of the alien attack on New York, how the person sitting in front of her had almost given his on life to save the world.  
Her heart had stopped just like the rest of the world’s when he had dropped from that portal seemingly dead.  
Her brain had difficulty accepting that same man was now sitting in front of her like she mattered.  
“What?” Mr. Stark asked when she had been staring at him for a while.  
Caroline’s cheeks flushed, but she kept eye contact.  
“I’m having difficulty believing we know each other.” She admitted.  
Mr. Stark frowned at that. Caroline quickly elaborated.  
“Oh no, I believe you, I don’t think you’re lying. It just seems surreal.”  
At that Mr. Stark relaxed and let out a loud and hearty laugh.  
“Oh my.” He gasped after his laughter died down. “I really didn’t expect this from you. The first time we met I had a feeling you disliked me on principle. Scowling at me all the time. Granted, I was being an ass to you. But this is so far from your initial reaction, it’s funny.”  
It was Caroline’s time to frown and she wanted to ask him to clarify but the door opened and a man entered.

He looked about the same age as Mr. Stark maybe a bit older. He had a somewhat square face with soft features. Short, pepper and salt hair and was wearing glasses.  
With a start Caroline recognized him.  
“You’re Bruce Banner.” She said with wide eyes.  
The man smiled and entered the room. He looked very friendly and curiosity filled his face.  
“I am.” He walked up to her and offered his hand. “Thank you for not using the green guy’s name.”  
Caroline took his hand and shook it.  
“Bruce, this is Caroline. Caroline Winston.”  
Dr. Banner’s face lit up with recognition and he looked like his thoughts were confirmed.  
“We hadn’t met before?” Caroline looked at Mr. Stark for confirmation. There was a giant hole in her memory and she’d need his help to fill in the blanks.  
Mr. Stark shook his head.  
“She doesn’t remember?” Dr. Banner asked, the curiosity back in his voice.  
“No, that’s why you’re here. All her memories since meeting me have gone poof.” Mr. Stark said, like it was no big deal.  
“Did you scan her head?”  
“FRIDAY?”  
“The scans from 5 minutes ago are available on the server, sir. Do you want me to scan her again?”  
“That won’t be necessary.”  
Mr. Stark tapped his watch and made a throwing gesture. Suddenly a screen was hovering above her legs. He tapped some things and a giant picture of – what she could only assume – her brain filled the screen. Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner looked at it intently.  
After a while Dr. Banner spoke up.  
“There seems to be no damage to her medial temporal lobe or anywhere else for that matter.”  
“I can’t see any either.”  
“We’ll have to assume she has dissociative amnesia.”  
Mr. Stark nodded.  
“Hello, I’m still here.” Caroline said, a little frustrated.  
Both geniuses looked up and Dr. Banner had an apologetic look on his face.  
“You don’t have any damage to your brain. Which is not surprising if you take your healing factor in count. So you have something called dissociative amnesia. It’s amnesia caused by a psychological trauma. There’s a very good chance you’ll get your memories back over time.” Dr. Banner explained.  
“Psychological trauma? But I remember that.”  
Both men looked at her surprised.  
“What do you remember?” Mr. Stark asked.  
“I remember accidentally killing the baker.” Caroline could still feel her insides turn to ice when mentioning it.  
“That’s not the trauma, Bruce is talking about.” Mr. Stark said softly.  
“Then what is it?” Caroline’s heart hammered in her chest, afraid of the answer. Because it had to be worse. Was there anything worse that her killing a man? Although to her surprise the guilt didn’t weigh on her bones like it did yesterday. Did it even happen yesterday? With what Mr. Stark had said she assumed not.  
Dr. Banner cleared his throat.  
“I’ll give you some space to tell her.” He turned towards Caroline. “If there’s anything I can help with, just tell FRIDAY to call me.”  
Caroline nodded slowly, too confused on what could have caused this, to really freak out that an Avenger just told her to call him if she needed him. She’ll have time to freak out about that later.  
Dr. Banner nodded at Mr. Stark and left the room.

Mr. Stark rubbed his neck awkwardly and sighed.  
“I had some difficult news to tell you, but this makes it even harder.” He said softly.  
Caroline froze, her mind filled with images of her mother and sister.  
“Is it my family? Are they alright?” Fear gripped her. If something happened to them that would definitely be traumatic. And definitely worse that killing that man. Again why was the guilt of that almost absent?  
“They’re alright, I found them and they’re fine.” Mr. Stark said to calm her down, but that only made it worse.  
“They were gone? I lost them?”  
Mr. stark cursed and took a deep breath.  
“They were never in any danger. I can’t elaborate now. You need to get your memories back on your own. I can’t give you too much details or your brain will fill in the blanks which aren’t true memories. That could get very confusing really fast, and it will be very difficult to keep true memories and fantasies apart.”  
He looked at her intensely.  
“I know for you it feels like we just met, but do you trust me?” He asked.  
And somehow Caroline felt like she did. Not only because he was an Avenger but because her gut told her to. She nodded slowly.  
“Okay, I’ll tell you what happened but vaguely, not too many details and please don’t research them, the memories need to come of their own.”  
Caroline nodded again.  
“Good.”  
Mr. Stark sighed again. This time relieved.  
“So the town was angry because of the baker and were planning to attack you. Someone warned your family and they got into contact with S.H.I.E.L.D.. I got you away from there and you lived in Hell’s Kitchen for a while, aiding a vigilante and healing some of the Avengers from time to time. As you grew more confident in your abilities, you got more and more involved. When you wanted to take out the crime boss of the city, me and another vigilante came to help you and the local vigilante. We were lured into a trap with a bomb. I had made you a suit to keep you safer on your endeavors. One of its perks was a energy shield. When the bomb was about to explode, you ran towards it, took it in your arms and activated you energy shield.” His voice almost trembled at that point. But he continued the story.  
“I saw you… I saw you burn alive and get pieced together again while burning. And you would have survived it, if your energy shield hadn’t broken down. The blast radiated towards us. I tried to get us out of there but the blast hit us anyway and you healed us. The second you started doing that, you stopped healing yourself and all that was left was ash.” Mr. Stark looked like he was choking on his own voice.  
“Wait…” Caroline interrupted confused. “What you’re telling me… I wasn’t, I didn’t... I died?”  
Mr. Stark nodded.  
“But… How… how am I…”  
“I gathered your ashes, to be able to provide your family with some kind of burial. By the time I was home, my AI noticed something strange with the ashes. What had been only gray powder, now had a bundle of cells in the middle of it and it was growing. I monitored it and it was you, healing yourself.”  
Caroline’s mind was reeling. She had been reduced to ash and still she had been able to heal herself?  
“That’s…”  
“Impossible, a miracle, fantastic…? I know, I had to involve Bruce, I couldn’t believe it myself. But he confirmed, you were healing yourself, so I put you in a safe place and monitored you. Still a million things could go wrong. You could grow into someone else entirely, you could grow into an empty shell, you could come back deformed, you could never wake up again.” The way he was telling it, Caroline had the feeling he had lost multiple nights of sleep over it.  
“It’s… amazing that the only thing you caught from that whole ordeal is amnesia.” Mr. Stark said, with awe in his eyes. It lasted for a second and then he chuckled. “Maybe it’s a blessing for me. I get to do our first meeting over and not be an ass.”  
Caroline smiled softly but something bothered her. She needed energy to heal. If she spread herself too thin, she’d get faint. How did a bundle of cells produce enough energy to do that. At least not in one go. Fear gripped her heart again. It had to be extremely slow.  
Caroline had trouble clearing her throat and talking with an even voice.  
“How… how long?”  
The smile slid from Mr. Stark’s face.  
“That was the difficult news I had to tell you. The only news I thought I would have to tell you.”  
Caroline braced herself and signaled Mr. Stark to continue.  
“It took you a little over a year to heal.” Mr. Stark said.  
“One year, two months and fifteen days to be exact.” FRIDAY provided.  
Caroline’s voice trembled when she spoke up again.  
“How… How much memory did I lose? What’s the time-frame?”  
“From the day we met to the day of the bomb, about six months, I think.” Mr. Stark said.  
“Six months and one week, sir.” FRIDAY provided again.  
“I lost a year and a half?” Caroline whispered.  
“One year, eight months and twenty-two days.” FRIDAY clarified and it was like being hit in the face with a hammer.  
“That’s enough FRIDAY.” Mr. Stark mumbled.  
“So now we’re April 2018?” Caroline asked.  
“Yes.”  
“Oh my.” Caroline wanted to lean back but she sat in a bed, she couldn’t lean on anything. She glanced behind her and was about to prop her pillow against the wall, when the bed started moving.  
Mr. Stark was pressing a button and a piece of the bed came up. When she could lean back he stopped.  
One year and eight months. Her family must be worried sick. She missed her sisters nineteenth birthday. Her eyes grew wide. She missed two of her own birthday’s. She was twenty-seven now. Caroline chuckled.  
“What?” Mr. Stark asked curious.  
“I just realized I’m twenty-seven now instead of twenty-five. Can I see my family?”  
Mr. Stark hesitated.  
“I relocated them. They’re not here, I wasn’t sure how this would turn out so they don’t know what happened.”  
“They think I abandoned them for more than a year and half?!” She couldn’t help raising her voice a bit.  
“Oh no, you and your family were briefed by us when we came to get you. They knew there was a possibility they wouldn’t hear from you for a long while, to guarantee your and their safety. Maybe when you’re back on your feet I can arrange a visit.”  
Caroline relaxed, just a bit.  
“And the people in Hell’s Kitchen?”  
“They think you’re dead. The local vigilante was there when it happened and I couldn’t notify him on what was happening because I had no way to contact him. And contacting the people you knew there with news that you were alive after he told them you’re dead would be difficult to explain. I’m not sure I would have anyway, I was too unsure if you were going to pull through.”  
Mr. Stark sounded pretty reasonable but her stomach clenched anyway. Somehow it upset her to know the people in Hell’s Kitchen though she was dead. She didn’t know why though.  
So she just nodded.

“You want to get some sleep?”  
“No!” She quickly said. She thought of her nightmare and sleeping didn’t sound so appealing after hearing you were unconscious for more than a year.  
“I’ve been sleeping or whatever long enough.” Caroline explained.  
“Ok, well then let’s see if you’re up for walking. It’s time to give you a room, now that you’re up.” Mr. Stark said, while clapping his hands together. Like he was secretly glad she didn’t want to sleep.  
He’d probably seen enough of her sleeping form.  
Caroline tentatively sat up and turned to the side of the bed, swinging her legs out of the bed.  
While she was resting them to the ground and gently put her weight on them, she suddenly realized what his words meant.  
“A room? Where am I anyway?” Caroline slowly stood, her knees buckled and Mr. Stark shot out of his chair to catch her.  
“Sorry, my knees are a bit wobbly.”  
He offered her an arm, she took it for support and they took a few steps together through the room.  
“In the tower.”  
“Wait the tower? The one that screams here lives Iron Man?”  
Mr. Stark let out a happy loud laugh at that.  
“Oh that reassures me that you’re still you. You said something along the same lines when I dropped you off in Hell’s Kitchen.”  
Caroline frowned.  
“Was it raining?”  
Mr. Stark stood still at that, his arm still clutched in hers for support. He looked at her surprised.  
“Yes, it was. Do you remember?”  
“No?”  
Caroline frowned and tried to reach the part of her brain that had told her that it was raining that day. She wanted to find more. But that part of her brain was silent again and all she could find was a gaping hole where her memories should be.  
“No, I don’t remember, just something gave me the feeling it was raining that day.”  
Mr. Stark nodded and they started walking again.  
“That’s how it will feel for some time. You’ll know some things without knowing why you know them. Very confusing but it’s a good sign.”  
After a few rounds of the room, Caroline tried on her own, but she was still too unsteady on her feet.  
She gritted her teeth in frustration.  
“You’re concentrating too much.” Mr. Stark chuckled. “Don’t worry, you can still lean on me when I show you around, I assume you want to get out of that hospital gown?”  
Caroline flushed and tried to look at her back. Dear god, don’t let her have been walking around with Iron Man in her naked butt.  
But no the back was closed. Her hospital gown was made out of two sides tied together with several plastic snap buttons. It looked a lot easier to rip off in emergencies than a normal hospital gown.  
“Euhm, yeah.”  
“Your clothes are on the table behind you. I’ll give you some privacy.”  
Mr. Stark left the room after she got her clothes and he had guided her back to the bed.  
It took more fumbling that she could remember but after a few minutes she was dressed. It was one of her own outfits, from home. She smelled them and she was delighted to note that they still smelled like home. She must not have worn it in her six months in Hell’s Kitchen.  
She tried getting to the door on her own, but by the time she reached it, her knees buckled and she had to lean heavily on the door handle. She pushed the door open and looked into the hallway.

Mr. Stark was leaning against a wall and was working on something on the hologram screen that came out of his watch.  
“Wow, I didn’t think screens like that would exist so soon.” She said.  
Mr. Stark shuffled around some more things and then tapped his watch, making the screen disappear.  
“To the public they don’t exist yet. Only a couple of people use them, and they’re all my employee’s or friends.” He walked over to her. “Can you walk on your own yet? Or do you need my arm?”  
There was no malice in his question, it was just checking if she needed him.  
“I’ll take the arm for now, please.”  
“Sure thing.” He offered it to her and she grabbed it gratefully. “I’m sure by the end of the tour you won’t need it though. You’ll walk soon enough when you’re not thinking too much about it. And after we get some food in you. I’m guessing you’re hungry?”  
“Starving actually.” Caroline answered when she realized he was correct. She leaned on him while they walked through the hallway.  
“As it is now the tower is home to Stark industries and the Avengers base as well. I was planning on selling the whole damn thing but I changed my mind. I’ll be moving the Avengers to a compound upstate and Stark Industries will remain in the tower. I’ve put too much effort in this thing to just sell it and there was… were other reasons.”  
They had arrived at an elevator and it opened, when they entered Caroline looked at Mr. Stark and he was avoiding her gaze.  
“FRIDAY, 89th floor please.”  
“You didn’t want to sell it because of me, did you?”  
Mr. Stark sighed.  
“There were other reasons as well, but yes, I didn’t know if it was safe to move you. Don’t worry, the plan as it is now is the best one.” He reassured her.  
“For today, I’ll just show you the living areas, if you’re interested in a tour of Stark Industries when you’re feeling up for it, just ask, I’ll show you.”  
Caroline nodded.  
Mr. Stark led her through the living areas. And she soon realized which living areas they were. It was the Avengers living areas. She was going to stay with the Avengers. Oh my.  
He showed her the kitchen first and grabbed a sandwich from the fridge. She ate it in peace while he was back on his holo-screen. The room really did look like people live in it. It’s not that is was messy but little things gave it away. Like the scratches in the huge table and how worn the seats were. Dishes were in the sink and someone left a utility belt hanging on one of the seats, although it didn’t look like a normal utility belt.  
When she was finished Mr Stark put her plate with the rest of the dishes and they resumed their tour. The sandwich had helped, she didn’t have to lean on him as much anymore.  
He guided her through an opening and they arrived in the living room. It was here that she really realized it was the Avengers living space. There were a ton of comfortable looking leather couches pointed at a big ass TV screen. Multiple gaming consoles rested on the TV station. With a case filled with games. A smaller table was a bit further away and on it rested a very iconic red blue round shield.  
She tried not freak out visibly but Mr. Stark suppressed a chuckle when he saw her wide eyes.  
He continued to show her around with explications on where to find everything. They passed a theater. And not a small one, a full blown theater. A training room, which was huge and filled with weapons she recognized. There was also a medic bay, they didn’t walk through that though, Caroline was secretly glad at that.  
Then they stepped into the elevator again to rise another floor. Soon they walked through a hallway filled with doors. Much like a hotel but way further apart, even further apart than in an apartment building. Each door had a logo on it, or identified with an avenger by it’s colors and she really tried not to lose her cool.  
“I’ll be staying here?” She asked in a small voice.  
Mr. Stark chuckled at her voice. She had a feeling he was enjoying her reactions way too much and when the day would come that her memories were back he’d laugh at her. She could appreciate it that he was nice about it right now. She had seen his playful character in interviews. If it wasn’t a front.  
“No, you can hang out here when you feel comfortable enough around us. For now you’ll be in my wing.” 

They had reached the end of the hallway and another door stood right before us.  
They stood still for a second until the doors swung open.  
“FRIDAY, add Caroline’s biometrics for access to this wing and all of the Avengers area’s.”  
“Miss Caroline has been added sir.”  
They went through the doors and the space they entered was a huge living area witch kitchen and living room combined. It was not as huge as the Avenger’s area but still huge compared to the house she grew up in.  
Again Mr. Stark explained where everything was. They entered another hallway with four doors.  
“At the end of the hallway is the door to my lab. To the left of it is my room, this door is a vacant room and the door facing my room is your room.”  
Curious Caroline walked up to her room and opened it. To her amazement her room looked like home.  
Well not exactly, it was way bigger but the color tones were the same. The walls were in a soft aqua and the floor was in light wood. Like back home. Even her bed looked a bit the same only bigger and the sheets on it had the same floral pattern. There was a big window with a balcony and a stunning view of the New York skyline. There was a desk and a laptop she didn’t recognize sat on top of it next to two boxes with the Stark Industries logo on it. Her room was filled with things from home, stuffed animals, momentums, her jewelry box. Her degree hung on a wall. Her grandmothers standing mirror stood in a corner. Photos of her and her sister were still tuck in the frame from back home.  
Her walls were full of pictures of her family and she couldn’t help but feel tears well up. Her throat constricted at the sight of how much energy was put in this.  
“I... euhm, when it looked like everything was going it right direction with you, I went back to your home to scan your room. I didn’t do it all myself, but hired people and gave them instructions to make it look as much as your old room. What you had to go through... what you did... Ahem, I just wanted you to be comfortable after that.”  
When Caroline stayed silent, too overcome with emotion he rambled on.  
“I didn’t count on amnesia so I thought you’d remember the whole ordeal and if you developed PTSD because of it, a familiar environment that had nothing to do with the trauma would help you. Those two doors are your bathroom and your closet. Everything you own should be in here. Except your laptop and phone. I’m sorry but what you used was dreadful. I copied everything on a Stark phone and a Stark laptop. My equipment is the best anyway. The phone is in the box next to your laptop, it’s fully charged, as is the laptop. Oh and one more thing.”  
He walked into the room and grabbed the second box next to her laptop and opened it. Mr. Stark took something out and walked back to her.  
“Can I have your arm?”  
Caroline stuck it out in reflex, still overcome by the room.  
Mr. Stark clasped something on her wrist. When he pulled back she saw a watch. It was a beautiful analogue watch with a white face and pink gold encasing and straps.  
“The straps are changeable, you’ll find them in your closet. I’d like you to only take it off when you shower. Otherwise let it on at all times.”  
He double tapped the face and a holo-screen popped up. “It’s connected to your phone, laptop and AI. It reads your vitals as well, so keep it on for a piece of my mind.”  
Caroline nodded numbly.  
“Wait, I have an AI?”  
“Oh right you don’t remember, the suit I made you had an AI. Your personal AI. She’ll learn and adapt from you to be the best possible companion, like FRIDAY is for me. I think you named her EVE. She’s also present in your room instead of FRIDAY.”  
“Hello miss Fox.” A warm female voice filled the room. A lot softer than FRIDAY, FRIDAY seemed witty at times, she had noticed and this voice was gentler.  
“You can use her real name now EVE. She’s not undercover anymore.”  
“Hello miss Winston.”  
“She’s new, so she doesn’t have a lot of personality yet, she’ll develop it when she learns what you need more.” Mr. Stark explained.  
He rattled on for a bit longer but Caroline mostly zoned out and looked at him in wonder. Sure he was a billionaire, he could wipe his ass everyday with hundred dollar-bills and not even make a dent in what he owned. So in money this was no big deal for him, not as much of a big deal it was for her. What struck her though is how he took her and her well-being into account with everything he had given. He didn’t have to do that, but he did it anyway. Either he had really been an huge asshole to her in the beginning and he wanted to smooth things over or he really cared. Caroline decided it had to be something in between.  
“Right, I’ll get going now, so you can adjust to your room. If you need anything changed or something else EVE will see to it that you get it.”  
Mr. Stark walked back to her door. Either he didn’t notice her staring and emotional reaction or he felt really awkward by it, but he didn’t comment on it.  
Caroline followed him and stopped him.  
“Mr. Stark...”  
He turned around smiling, ignoring the awkward atmosphere.  
“See I told you you’d be walking on your own by the end of the tour. Since we reached your room you’ve been walking by yourself.”  
Oh right. Her knees weren’t wobbly anymore.  
“Mr. Stark.” She tried again. “Thank you, for everything.” It wasn’t enough but she could feel he wasn’t into the whole emotional gratefulness she had going on right now. It wasn’t his thing.  
“Please, drop the Mr. It’s Tony and... you’re welcome.”  
He left swiftly and Caroline still stood in the middle of the room, admiring it with her shiny new watch around her wrist.


	2. Lonely

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guy's,
> 
> I'll try to be more consistent with this fic and upload new chapters regulary.  
I hope you've enjoyed the new direction it's going.  
Don't hesitate to let me know what you think!
> 
> Love,  
D

“Good morning Caroline.” EVE’s voice filled her room as soon as she opened her eyes.  
“Good morning EVE.”  
Caroline had been living in the Avenger’s tower for a week now. Yeah, she found out the tower had been renamed, will probably be renamed again after the Avengers move.  
EVE was learning, just like Mr. Stark had said.   
After the tour she had passed out on her bed and the next morning EVE had wished her good morning as soon as she could read in her vitals that she was waking up. After two grumpy mornings, she waited to do it until her eyes actually opened. Giving her the chance to turn around and sleep some more now.  
After reminding Caroline that if she should behave differently, she needed to tell her, Caroline threw in that she could stop calling her miss Winston and just call her Caroline and she did.  
Caroline got up and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast.  
The first two mornings she always checked if Mr. Stark... Tony was there. After asking two times EVE informed her that Tony didn’t really have a healthy sleeping pattern so it would be rare to walk into him in the kitchen. Or anywhere really.  
He was either in his lab or in the Avengers area.  
To be honest her first week here had been pretty boring. She stuck to Tony’s wing so she hadn’t met any of the Avengers. And she really wasn’t about to barge into that area either. She felt too awkward about it. She was an intruder after all.  
That was also the reason Caroline tried to stay out of Tony’s way. She didn’t want to impose, he was a busy man. The head of a billion dollar company and an Avenger. She just didn’t feel comfortable with it.  
Caroline poured herself some cereal and sighed.  
She felt lonely. It had only been her and the two AI’s the whole week. She had checked her phone but either she didn’t recognize the names - probably people from Hell’s Kitchen who though she was dead - or it were friends from back home - who had plotted to kill her.  
She had tried her mom’s and sister’s cell, but they were disconnected.  
So she watched movies and read books the whole day long. At first it was fine.  
Now she was bored out of her mind and lonely.

“FRIDAY, where’s Tony?”  
“In his lab, miss.”  
“Oh.” Books and movies it is. God she was bored. She had read every book in his wing. Yes, even the scientific ones. She was surprised to notice reading went a lot quicker than before, she had devoured one of the massive ones in only three hours. Which wasn’t helping her boredom.  
Caroline slouched and her cereal tasted like sand in her mouth.  
“Caroline?” A worried voice sounded from the hallway and Caroline’s head shot up.  
Tony entered the kitchen, with a messy haircut, a T-shirt with stains on it and a look on his face that Caroline recognized. She wore the same look when she was studying and someone disturbed her in the middle of it.  
“Mr... Tony.” She sputtered, surprised to see him.  
“FRIDAY said you needed me. Is something wrong?” He asked concerned.  
“Euhm no, I didn’t call you.”  
“Oh.” Tony looked confused at that.  
“I told her to call you, sir. She’s bored and lonely.” EVE suddenly sounded through the kitchen.  
Caroline could die from embarrassment, right then and there. Now she looked like she was ungrateful.  
“EVE! Don’t listen to her Mr. Stark, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She rushed to rectify the situation.  
“Tony.” Tony corrected her.  
“Right Tony.”  
Tony rubbed his face and sighed.  
“I’m being an ass again aren’t I?” He sighed.  
“No, no you’re not.” Caroline shook her head.  
“Yes I am. I wanted to give you space, to get used to your surroundings. Thinking you’d reach out when you’re ready but I’m still a complete stranger to you. I should have realized.”  
“It’s not that, you’re a busy man, you have a company to run, I didn’t want to impose.”  
At that Tony let out a laugh.  
“I don’t run the business anymore. Well not completely. My best friend Pepper Potts, I made her CEO, she runs it for me. I just have to show my head from time to time in board meetings but that’s it. The rest of the time, if Pepper doesn’t need me or the Avengers don’t need me I just do what I want. Mostly inventing.”  
Caroline gaped at him.  
“So you’re not busy?”  
“Not at all, I get a bit out of it sometimes when I’m tinkering but that’s about it. Or if something major is happening at the company, then I do have to stick my head in more than I want to. Usually I skip it though, that’s why I have Pepper.” He said with a smile, pouring some cereal for himself.  
The cereal crunched in his mouth.  
After a few bites, he spoke up again.  
“I just have to finish what I’m working on now and then we can do something else. You’re welcome to join me. You’ll get to see the great Tony Stark at work.” He chuckled.  
Caroline got excited at that prospect. She had never really been interested in engineering before, but the books she had read intrigued her. Besides Tony was the most famous inventor of this age, of course she wanted to see him work.  
“Gladly.” She answered. “I just need to shower first.”  
“Take your time, I’ll be in the lab. You have access to it whenever I’m in there. So just come down when you’re ready.” Tony said.  
He finished his bowl of cereal and headed downstairs.  
Caroline quickly did the dishes and jumped in the shower. She was excited, finally something other to do. Sure it’ll probably be just observing but she wouldn’t be alone and she was actually curious if those books had taught her something. If she’d recognize the material she just read, in what he’s doing.

Since she was going to his lab she opted for easy fitting sweats and a simple T-shirt. He had looked disheveled and she was sure spills happened down there.  
She hesitated just slightly at the door to his lab but shook it off and opened the door. There were stairs leading her down and came out in a hallway where one wall was completely made out of glass, giving her a perfect view of the lab and Tony working in it.  
He saw her, smiled and signaled her to come in. The glass door opened for her without her reaching out for it.  
Caroline looked around, amazed by his equipment and of course the prototypes scattered around. She saw a bow and quiver in the corner in black and highlights of purple and realized it was probably for Hawkeye.  
A shiver of excitement went through her spine and she walked up to Tony.  
His project came into view. Tiny little grains were scattered on the table and he was working on one with a giant magnifying glass and tiny little tools. Wow, she would never have the patience for it.  
Caroline craned her neck to observe what he was doing.  
“FRIDAY, can you pull up de video feed of what I’m doing and show it on the display next to me?”  
A holo-screen next to Tony flickered on and showed what he was doing. Caroline flushed, he probably didn’t like her watching over his shoulder.  
She still couldn’t really see what he was doing because of the size and she glanced at him and reached out to the holo-screen. She made the same motion she did on her phone to zoom in and smiled when it worked.  
Now she could see what he was doing and she let out a surprised gasp.  
“What?” He asked without stopping the movement of his hands.  
“Are you working on nanobots?” Caroline asked in wonder. Remembering the material she had read upstairs.  
“Yup.”   
“Isn’t that only research right now? They’ve been working on it but to this day no prototype is very advanced. What can they do?”  
His hands stilled. Caroline glanced sideways to see why he stopped what he was doing. Tony was looking at her in surprise.  
“I didn’t think you were very sciency, you studied law didn’t you?” One of his eyebrows rose. He looked genuinely surprised.  
“Yes, I just read some of your books upstairs.” Caroline shrugged.  
“And you understood them?” Now both eyebrows shot to his hairline.  
“It was difficult at first, but I think I did partially.”  
He looked at her for a few seconds more and then focused back on his nanobot. While working he suddenly explained nanobots to her, the theories behind them and how he had implemented them.  
Caroline had to interrupt him multiple times though, some of the things he said didn’t make sense to her. But whenever she did, he backtracked and simplified the explanation.  
When he was finished with the bot he was working on, Caroline glanced at her watch.  
Wow, they had been in here for four hours, time had flown by.

“Want to see them in action?” Tony asked.  
Caroline nodded enthusiastically. Tony grinned and pulled up another holo-screen. He typed in a code and suddenly the grains sprang into action.  
Slowly a hand and lower arm were formed, and Caroline recognized the model. It looked like the gauntlet of one of his suits.  
“Wow.” Caroline breathed out.  
They actually worked, something that is mainly a theory to everyone else, Tony had just developed.  
She had read he was a genius but reading and seeing with her own eyes were two different things.  
He typed in a different code and rested his hand on top of the gauntlet and it looked like it melted to reform around his arm.  
Tony moved to the other side of the lab where there was a glass cubicle. He went inside and told her to watch from the outside.  
He tested several things, like his blasters and a drone that detached from the arm. Then he made another movement and the gauntlet formed a shield.  
After some more testing he came out of the glass cubicle with a grin on his face.  
“So, are you impressed yet?” He asked, with the grin still on his face.  
“Pfft, that was not impressive, a whole suit, that would have been impressive.” Caroline mocked.  
Tony laughed.  
“I’m getting there. The practical thing about nanobots is I can carry my suit around every day. With just a tap it’ll deploy. But what is very practical is that the bots adapt.”  
He signaled her to come closer and pulled up another holo-screen.  
When Caroline stood right in front of him he took her right hand and put it to rest on the gauntlet that he was wearing on his right hand. He reached out to the holo-screen and put in another code.  
Suddenly the gauntlet melted again but this time it reformed around Caroline’s arm.  
It was a really weird sensation, like putting your entire arm in a sack of flower… kind of.  
She felt how the gauntlet was alive around her arm, like a machine, and she rather liked the feeling. The weight of the gauntlet was there but it wasn’t truly heavy. It was probably even better in an entire suit.  
“Awesome.” Caroline whispered.  
Tony chuckled again and then stretched, bones cracking while he was doing that.  
“How about we take a break huh. Something to eat?”  
“Sure.”  
Tony typed in another code and the gauntlet shrunk off her arm into a small diamond shaped encasing in the palm of her hand.  
Tony plucked it out of her hand and put it in a drawer.  
“You want to grab lunch outside the tower?” Tony suggested.  
“That would be great.”   
Finally she got to leave this blasted tower, it would do her some good.   
“Good, let me freshen up, and we’ll go out.”

A few minutes later they exited the elevator into the underground garage.   
Caroline gaped at al the fancy cars lining the garage. They walked towards a grey, almost silver Audi when in the corner of her eye she saw a red BMW cooper with two black stripes almost forming a ‘V’ on the hood. It stood out next to all the masculine and truly extravagant cars – there were Lamborghini’s for gods sake. She had to chuckle a little at it.  
“What’s funny?” Tony asked looked up from his phone he had been busy with since they entered the elevators.  
“Nothing, it’s just weird seeing such an normal car amongst the rest of them.”  
Tony’s gaze fell on the car she was looking at.  
“Oh that’s yours.”  
“What!?” Caroline exclaimed.  
“Yeah, I gave that to you when you relocated to Hell’s Kitchen. But I was notified you never drove it. I though you didn’t like it.”  
“You gave me a car!?” Caroline looked at him horrified.  
Granted she had noticed he didn’t really care about expenses. The room, phone, laptop, watch… she had accepted them, she had figured he was worried about her and it was for her wellbeing, but a freaking car?  
“Ah, there it is. I was wondering when no-luxury-Caroline would come out.” Tony said mockingly. “You were pretty pissed about it last time. That’s probably why you never drove the car too. Stubborn as you are.”  
Caroline sputtered at that, but before she could object to the car, Tony sighed, put away his phone and cut her off.  
“Listen, you’d better get used to it. I am a billionaire you know. And I’m not greedy about it. I like giving stuff to friends, just because I can. I don’t do it to flaunt my wealth, yeah sure I can be a cocky ass about it but don’t you dare think I’m asking something in return. All this, the gifts I give, they don’t even make a dent in my wallet so don’t worry about it.”  
Caroline looked at him stunned.  
“Perks of being friends with Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist.”   
“But…”  
“We are not going to have this discussion every time I throw something your way are we? I’m filthy rich, I like giving stuff, get over it.” Tony rolled his eyes.  
Caroline got a bit dizzy, he was going to keep giving her stuff. Her mom hadn’t been poor, they had a roof over their heads, but she remembers her mom bowed over bills, trying to figure out how to pay them all in time. There had been times, food was all they could afford. So this was… Overwhelming to say the least.  
Tony was looking at his phone again, for him the discussion was closed. Caroline wondered if it was a defense mechanism. He gives his money freely, so he wouldn’t be hurt when people turned out to be only after his money. Or was this the only way he could show people he cared?  
Caroline didn’t know and she didn’t dare ask. Caroline swallowed eyeing the car again. It wouldn’t be easy for her, but he was right, she didn’t want to fight with him every time he gave her something.  
“Thank you.”  
Tony waved it away.  
“Your key is on the rack over there. It has a tag with your name.”  
Tony put his phone away and walked up to the Audi, unlocking it.  
“Now let’s get going, I’m starving.”

When they returned from lunch, Caroline’s face darkened when they drove into the garage.  
Lunch had been wonderful. Tony had taken her to an Italian restaurant. The moment they arrived he had surprised her by putting away his phone and not taking it out again until they left the restaurant.  
The food was delicious and Caroline had enjoyed talking with him too.   
Tony had given her the highlights of the last year and a half. Then their conversation veered in all kinds of directions. Movies and books they liked, foods they enjoy, recounting funny memories.  
Caroline laughed hard at the adventures Tony had with Rodey in their college years.  
She almost felt normal again, forgetting her powers, memory loss and the past year and a half she missed for a bit.  
Caroline’s happiness deflated when they drove into the tower again. She couldn’t help but feel a bit locked up in here.  
Tony glanced at her and saw the change on her face.  
“You don’t have to stay in here every day, you know. I’m not locking any doors behind you. You’ve got your car, you can go anywhere you want.”  
“I know, but where would I go? My sister and mother are in protective custody, any friends I had either think I’m dead or were planning to kill me.”  
Caroline said in a soft voice.  
“Hey, you’ve got me. You’re not telling me I’m boring are you. Because I’d have to remedy that.” He said jokingly, wiggling his eyebrows.  
“No it’s not that. I appreciate what you’ve done for me and I… I know, somehow that we’re friends. Something in me confirms that but for me it’s still a bit surreal and I don’t know, I feel lonely.”  
Tony nodded while parking the car.  
“I know how you feel.”  
Something in the way he said it, made Caroline believe him.  
“It won’t be like this forever. Once your memories are back you can contact your friends in Hell’s Kitchen, we’ll come up with a story about your resurrection. And you’ll make new friends, no doubt about it. But you’ve got to get a bit out of your comfort zone. Go out on your own, come over to the Avengers area with me sometimes. You’ll meet them eventually when they get hurt by being the buffoons that they are… If you’re still up for healing people that is.”  
“Oh I’m still up to it.” Caroline quickly said. “I want to make myself useful and I’ve always loved using my powers.”  
“Well, it’s settled then, tonight you’re joining me for dinner with the Avengers.”  
Caroline started and looked at him with wide eyes.  
“Wha… no I can’t… I mean…”  
“Relax… not the whole group will be there. I think it’ll only be Clint, Natasha and Cap anyway. You’ve met Nat and Cap already, you even went on a mission with them.”  
“Wait… what?”  
“Yeah… I’m sure they’ll recap the story for you.”  
They were walking towards the elevators.  
Caroline was marveling about the fact that she had went on a mission with two avengers already. That stupid memory loss.  
“Wanna join me in the lab again?” Tony asked casually.  
“You bet I do.” Caroline said happily.


End file.
